NAME THEM- SHAME THEM

“Four more votes for a cleaner Australia”. Those were the seven words that got me into trouble this week from an Assistant Police Commissioner, some members of the public, and my erstwhile colleague Neil Mitchell.

I was referring to the suicides of four men who had been implicated in one of the sickest national crimes in this country in years. Accused of being among the 200 men who have downloaded several million images of child pornography and saved it on hard drives, floppy discs, and CDs. Some of the victims were as young as two.

These men had been arrested and charged in one of the most successful secret police operations between the Australian Federal Police and state police ever in this country.

The four became five. And, I’ll admit, I said on radio that frankly I don’t care. Hoped it was six the next day. Or sixty.

Assistant Crime Commissioner, Simon Overland, said the public reaction to the child porno raids had been “out of control” and that some members of the media had behaved irresponsibly.

Well on the first issue I disagreed and on the second I disagreed. I think Overland is a fine policeman and a decent, dedicated man. But when I challenged him on air to tell me the name of the alleged child pornography user in Melbourne who happened to own three childcare centres he refused.

And if I behaved “irresponsibly” by naming Scott Thompson, the childcare centre owner then so be it. It was not my right to do it. It was my duty.

Parents had an urgent right to know the name of the three childcare centres in Melbourne. They had an urgent right to know the name of the accused man.

The same way that parents involved in churches and schools and hospitals were entitled to quickly know that an arrest in their facility had raised the very real issue of vulnerability.

The Victorian Education and Training Department was so protective and politically correct this week that they sent out a press release announcing that a secondary school “contract employee” had been arrested and charged with child pornography. They didn’t name the school. They didn’t even say that the man was a cleaner at the school. Just a “contract employee”.

This is political correctness gone mad. The same precious commentators who will name a .05 politician get wrapped in a hypocritical blanket of civil liberties over child pornographers.

My 3AW colleague Neil Mitchell went into print this week in his Herald Sun column to lament “a vicious red blood lust blinding a large section of this country today”. Well, my hand is up Neil. Keep me “blinded”.

Mitchell, from some sanctimonious, cosseted, out of touch world, wrote:

“When we, as a society, welcome and encourage suicide as retribution we are in danger of losing the right to call ourselves civilised.”

As I said on air: No Neil, it is the perverts who get their jollies from looking at pictures of naked, abused children who are not civilised. They have paid money through their credit cards to child pornographers who have physically and mentally abused little kids around the world.

I am not encouraging suicide. It is the ultimate civil right but it is also often a cowardly out that leaves loved ones stricken and sometimes guilt-ridden themselves.

I have just argued that if a man charged with downloading and saving thousands of sexual images of children decides to top himself then that is fine. As I said: One more vote for a cleaner Australia.

Mitchell also wrote in his column: “These suicides are not reason for celebration. They are not self-imposed justice”.

Yes they are. What more drastic form of “self-imposed justice” is there than removing yourself from this planet because of behaviour so gross you cannot face family or friends any more?

I believe a man accused of child pornography who kills himself has already found himself guilty. A man wrongly accused of child pornography would fight it through the courts to clear his name. I would. I would even lose my house to pay the legal costs if I were wrongly accused.

As I said, a man who kills himself over such accusations has already put his hand up as a guilty party.

It feels strange to kick a colleague but Mitchell also wrote: “We can all understand the need for revenge, punishment and deterrent. Suicide achieves none of those”.

Yes it does, Neil. As brutal as it sounds and I am happy to write this: to the perverts who topped themselves I say” Good riddance. The world is a better place without you.”

This week I received abusive e-mails and phone calls on this issue. My parentage was questioned and I was called the most insensitive, callous p---- in this country.

Maybe I am. But I get solace by going back to a mantra of thirty years: Who’s looking after the children?

This is one of the most vile stories I have reported on in years. That is why I will name them and I will shame them when I can.

And for Simon Overland to claim that some of us have been “out of control” is a travesty. To claim that some people in the media have gone “too far” is arrant nonsense. We are trying to look after the parents while still asking the question: Who’s looking after the children?

In recent days we have had a sordid continuing stream of stories about adults involved in child pornography. An Anglican priest, a couple of hospital workers, a childcare centre owner. On and on and on.

Simon Overland, Simon Overkill, should be praising the areas of the media pushing his worthwhile barrow. Not cheaply shooting the messenger.

October 10, 2004

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2004